Sunday, February 1, 2009

So my mom came by to visit me and we went to church together this past Thursday. Upon her arrival, she asked if I had a hotcomb (which, oddly enough, I did) and proceeded to flame torch her tresses bone straight. My mom wears her hair natural as well, but likes to straighten it, gel it up and pop on a thick, lush ponytail. Of course, being a happy nappy I said, "noooo, don't do that." I figured if she wanted hair that looked straight she might as well just use the oldest trick in the book and gel it all back into a ponytail. Her hair is naturally soft and curly so it doesn't take a hot comb to smooth it all back into a fine textured ponytail, just some water a hair brush and some grease (like back in the day, remember?). But she was desiring a fluffy little bang up front to match the fluffy ponytail in the back (moms was a big fan of the eighties y'all). So I let bygones be bygones and when she left I sent her packing with my little gold hotcomb and a little bit of the burnt hair that she left in it. Sigh! Can't fight'em all.

Anywhoo...at work the other day, my clueless but very friendly coworker proceeded to sing "Three Little Birds" and tell me that I reminded her of Bob Marley. Although, me and Bob both share the hairstyle commonly known as dread locks and yes, we both have a love for Jah...um, I wasn't flattered. She could tell by the *crickets* that her little comparison didn't go over, so she decided to do one better. "Okay, how about this...my African Queen, Princess from the Motherland, Nubian Goddess..."

Calmly and slowly, I said, "You're killing me. Please stop." And thankfully, she did. I gave her the brick face the first time, because oddly enough, I didn't know why she connected me with Bob Marley. My brain was kind of slow (it was 5am in the morning) but when she went into the African Princess stuff it occurred to me. She must have thought that my wearing locks was an attempt to live like/look like a rastafarean or to look African. I guess I didn't get it because I've never acquainted dreadlocks/natural hair with a culture, just an ethnicity. In other words, I didn't think it was an African thing or an island thing, I just thought it was a Black thang! -Says, "heeeyyy" and raises the roof-

So once I came to that conclusion, my mind went twenty different directions. Like if she thinks wearing natural hair is an African thing, then what the (insert expletive here) does she think she's doing by wearing a perm? The "American thang?" -Says "heeeyy" weakly and half heartedly raises the roof- Um, I hope not because there are plenty of island and African perm-wearers that would take offense to that.

She wasn't the first person to say something like that to me. When I went to some model scout, casting call thing a couple months ago, the lady told me that she liked my Afro-centric pictures. I remember being confused and thinking to myself, what's so afro-centric about my pictures? But now I know. The lady was sadly mistaken as to what afro-centricism truly is. So for the record, here's a PSA...not that any permies are looking at this blog anyway, but you never know. And maybe one day you might need to use this PSA for someone else (whether you are locked up or not). lol

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT:

MY HAIR DOES NOT BELONG TO ANY SPECIFIC CULTURE. IT IS NOT AFRICAN HAIR. IT IS NOT JAMAICAN HAIR. IT IS NOT RASTAFAREAN HAIR OR NIGERIAN HAIR. IT IS NOT A MEMBER OF THE BLACK PANTHER PARTY, THE NATION OF ISLAM OR THE REPUBLICAN/DEMOCRAT PARTY. IT IS JUST HAIR.

My hair is not on its own spiritual journey. I am not actively making a statement. While I respect and admire other cultures, I do not identify myself with any culture outside of my own (insert your culture here, mine is American). My ETHNICITY, is (Black African origin) and that is why my hair is naturally curly and kinky. Not because I am making a statement and underwent some chemical transformation to help me identify with a tribe in (insert country here).

This is NOT what I'm trying to do...

...not that there is anything wrong with either one of those things.

This is what I'm trying to do...

My hair did not originally start out like this...

It started out like this...

And I decided to keep it that texture. Not because I am lazy or militant or rastafarean or angry or happy or strange or African or Jamaican or (insert adjective here) but because I LIKE IT THIS WAY.

That's it yall!

Peace, Blessings and Jah!

"Until the philosophy which hold one race superior and another inferior is finally discredited and abandoned...WAR! So that is prophecy, and everyone knows that is truth. And it came out of the mouth of Rastafari."

"I don't stand for the black man's side; I don’t stand for the white man's side. I stand for God's side.